Brilliant, Broke, and Bureaucratically Burdened: How Does the Class 2025 and 2026 Feel About College?
By Saron Hatsey
About a week ago, I went on a tour across the University of Washington. A dream school of mine, I found myself more excited to visit this school compared to the other college visits I’d done in my home state. We learned all about the expansive study abroad programs, technologically advanced facilities, and most importantly, the highly regarded engineering program. It seemed like the school would be a perfect fit for someone like me, until they mentioned the financial aid packages.
Out of state students typically paid upwards of 40k-50k for their first year (even with financial aid and scholarships!). I knew that I had a sibling in college and another one planning to go soon after me, and we were a one income household. Immediately, I began questioning whether this school was right for me. Would juggling a job, research, and a difficult degree be worth it just to attend this school?
I began to look through schools in my home state. While cheaper, they faced a different issue- major budget cuts from the federal government due to their implementation of DEI programs. One of the main targets for budget cuts was in social science and scientific research- something I’d hoped to do throughout my undergrad.
In the face of rising tuition, government censorship, and an overall complicated process I knew I couldn’t be the only one suffering to find a school that fit my needs. So, I decided to survey 7 students from the class of 2025 and 2026 to find out how they were generally feeling about the college application process and college in general. All students surveyed wanted to achieve a bachelors or higher degree and came from some level of a middle class background.
In response to the question of whether they feel that government censorship will hinder them in any way, 4 people said ‘yes’, 2 said ‘maybe’, and 1 said ‘no’. Not all students that expressed worry about government censorship wanted to pursue research in their time in college. One student (C/O 2026, Business Major) expressed worry, stating that ..“ if there is increased research in women’s health, and funding is cut…That could significantly impact my healthcare.”
When asked about whether they feel that their economic standing would hinder them from being able to achieve what they would like in college, only 1 student said ‘yes’, while the rest said ‘no’. However, when later asked about whether they feel concerned about the affordability of college, 5 said ‘yes’ while 2 said ‘no’. Only one of the students indicated full financial security and ability to pay out of pocket, while the other student stated alternative methods of paying for school, like scholarships or the G.I Bill, which is granted to military families.
The rest of the 5 students expressed some level of worry about affording school. One student (C/O 2025, Architecture Major) stated “Yes, I am definitely concerned about the affordability of college. Tuition fees, housing, materials, and other expenses continue to rise, making it harder for many students, including myself, to access higher education without taking on significant debt.” Another student (C/O 2026, Cybersecurity Major) expressed that “Not entirely, I plan to access in-state schooling and feel like I have financial support to continue my education from my family. But with the growing issues happening in the current government, it brings me certain unease to if I will then be able to afford it or other factors will limit me financially.”
When surveyed about one thing that they would change about the American education system, one person said they were unsure, one said “...to make it [college] more holistic but also get rid of the stigma in getting into schools in certain rankings” (C/O 2026, Biomedical Engineering), and the rest expressed some level of dissatisfaction with the cost of college. This dissatisfaction wasn’t linked with whether they felt worried about paying for college or not. Both students that stated that they didn’t feel worried about paying for college said that they wanted to lower the cost of higher education saying “I believe it should be a lot more affordable. Especially now that federal loans have been drastically reduced. They prevent many people from being able to pursue higher education that otherwise would have. ” (C/O 2026, Biology) and “I’d make more scholarship opportunities for people who can’t pay for it themselves but work extremely hard to get there. ” (C/O 2026, Business/Pre-Law).
Additionally, 2 students showed displeasure in the actual structure of college and would change the way high schools and colleges treat their student bodies. One student said “...I would also shift the focus toward more hands-on, experiential learning. Practical experience through internships, workshops, and real-world projects would better prepare students for their future careers.” (C/O 2025, Architecture). Another stated that “ [I would] Create a better mentor and student system, especially for students who have moved from other countries…I’ve learned most of what I know about tertiary education outside of the high school environment, when I feel like I should’ve learned it while I attended. Definitely feel like the accessibility and creating a better student experience would improve what high school lacked ” (C/O 2026, Cybersecurity).
College is stressful. However, in the United States, it's also not affordable, inaccessible, confusing, and increasingly censored. While programs to mitigate the impact of cost and accessibility exist like the loan forgiveness program, they’re limited to individuals with certain professions and aren’t guaranteed. I live in a privileged neighborhood that has access to college and career counseling, good public high schools, accessible internet, and libraries stocked with books. If we’re struggling, who isn’t? College, an institution that’s supposed to promote class mobility has become a sign of class itself, and that needs to change.
